Stefan Schumacher

Who is this guy who won the Yellow Jersey in today's Stage 4 of the Tour de France?

German cyclist Stefan Schumacher came out of nowhere today to snag the first place finish during the individual time trial today during the Tour de France. Stage 4 today started and finished in a loop from the town of Cholet, France. Schumacher has been racing for Team Gerolsteiner since he made his UCI ProTour debut two years ago. He will celebrate his 27th birthday on the rest day in two weeks between Stages 15 and 16.

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Comments:

I don't consider this a big surprise. Schumacher has won some very hard, very important races and has a kick. He's a true roleur, and this course was made for that - shorter than typical and a bit hilly. Further evidence, note the performance of Jens Voigt.

Certainly I wouldn't have picked him for the win but if I had to pick 15 riders he would make the list, once you are there on such a short course it could even come down to when you started.

If it had been 15 more kilometers it would have probably been Evans and riders like Kirchen, Millar, Schumacher and Voigt would fade down the standings. At that distance I might even tip Vande Velde.

But what do I know. The only time I got one right was with Landis, and only after I dosed his beer.